The speakers of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) "Women Health & Hygiene Conference" Monday emphasized that women health should be realized as national health issue.

The conference focused on women reproductive and mental health, human rights, menstrual hygiene and associated taboos. Addressing the seminar, Secretary Parliamentary Affairs and Member National Assembly (MNA) Romina Alam Khan said the conference’s title was the key component of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She said observed women health and human rights had gained momentum and it was necessary to believe the fact that a healthy woman ensure hale and hearty family beside a strong nation. Romina said that midwives should be sensitized and trained to avoid serious harm to female reproductive health as lack of education and facilities contributed to increased maternal mortalities and complications.

Grass root level engagement and mobilization on such serious feminine health issues had been done on the part of government, she added.

Inspector General pakistan Railway Police (IGP) Dr.�Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Khan said the issue of women health and hygiene belongs to the entire society.

Healthy female population not only contributes to (GDP) growth rather national health, he added. Khan said that Pakistan Railway Police (PRA) at present had 3 percent lady officials working in the force and they had planned to extend this ratio to 30 percent.

He said PRA was working with the United Nations Women program to enhance its performance with better facilities for female officers. "Society has to change its outlook towards women to improve their health status," he added.

Executive Director, SDPI, Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said that young girls were the harbingers of change, adding National Human Development Report 2017, Human Development Index revealed that out of 100 young people between 16-30 years of age only 6 had access to library, 7 could participate in physical activities, only 2 girls had participated in sports activities and 23 percent of women were part of our labour force.

He said that all SDGs were directly linked with women while they faced discrimination in the parliament in spite of the fact that they were contributing positively to improve legislation. Suleri said that it was required to work on collecting SDGs data at district level while gender segregated data would be composed to report on gender disparity with the help of the next government.

He hoped that all the political parties would include women health and hygiene issues in their manifestos for elections 2018. Speaking on the conference, Prof Dr Syeda Batool Mazhar said young and older women had health issues that required attention and proper care.

She said that Pakistan had highest mortality rate while reproductive health issues were due to early marriages and pregnancies contributing to female health complications. She lamented that the primary healthcare institutes were not functional and the health standards were worst.

She was optimistic that Pakistan had all required laws being legislated and its implementation would make our nation the healthiest in the world. The health experts were unanimous in their approach that lack of education and communication among mother and child, unhygienic practices were the major cause of reproductive health and menstrual issues causing female bad health and other complications.

They believed that education and effective awareness among youth particularly high school female students would help to control the issue. Reproductive health and menstrual issues were associated as taboos in the society which needs to be abolished as women need guidance and support from the society for a healthy future, they added.

Source: https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/women-health-to-be-realized-as-national-healt-344032.html